Sparking toy



25A, 1939. y E. E. McKl-:IGE 2,1575249 SPARKING TOY Filed/oct. 1, 193'? Znlumuumuumlx l l ATTCRNEYS Patented July 25, 1939 SPARKING TOY Edward E. McKeige, Girard, Pa., assignor to Louis Marx & Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of ,New York I yipplication October 1, 1937, Serial No.,166,711

. 14 Claims.

@This invention relates to sparking toys, more particularly sparking vehicle toys, and especially railroad locomotive toys.

.VThe "primary object of my invention is to gen- ;,50 erally improve sparking toys, and, more' especially, sparking vehicle toys. v A more particular object is to provide such a toy with means making the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative Y at will. YAnother object is to so mount the holder 19 of-:the pyrophoric element (which element for brevtyvmay'be called a flint) as to make the holder readily removable and. replaceable when theelernent is worn out. Still another object is tov so mount the abrasive wheel which rubs l against' the flint that it too may be removed and replacedwhen desired. Still another object is to sov mount both the holder and the vabrasive Wheel as to make the same freely movable with afrninim'um of friction, yet to effectively prevent accidental escape from their respective mountingsasvlonggas the mechanism of the toy is n iountedv within the` body or shell'cf the toy.V

Upon removal ofr the body'from the mechanism,

however, a part, the motionof which lwas theref 35 tofore limited bythe body, becomes readily movable toa positionreleasing the flint holder or/and abrasivewheel, In accordance with still another object and-feature of my invention, and with aviewtor further simplifying the mechanism of the toy, a single control element is used for three purposes, `firstto make th-e sparking mechanism `operative lor inoperative, second Lto control the releaseoi the flintholderwfor replacement, and third to. control thefrel'ease of the abrasive wheel IoatheA accomplishment of the foregoing, and suchV .other objects as vwill hereinafter appear, myjinvention consists in the sparking toy elements and their relation one to the other, as 40 hereinafter are more particularly described in V this specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which: 'Fig 1 is a partially'sectioned side elevation of a locomotive toy embodying my invention;

Figi 2' is a horizontal section taken in the plane -ofthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1; L. l

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken `in the plane ortho-line 3;-,3 ofl Fig. 1; 'f

, mm1 mechanism of the invention; v Y Eig.'5 is a similar view,l but showing the control ChaiSm linQ'h'er postioniand Eigi'6;.j isj.a pla n yew of `a portion of lthe top Fig.- 4 is'an enlarged detail explanatory ofthe 'of the locomotive explanatory of the detent slot for the control lever. f Referring to the drawing, the toy' there shown comprises a motor generally designated `M and sparking mechanism including an abrasive wheel 5L f l A and a flint F. The motor M may be usedA to drive toy operations other than the production of sparks', and, in the present case, the rmotor functions primarily as theldriving motor for the Wheels W 'of asimulatedsteam locomotive L.. l0

VConsidering therarrangement in greater detail, th-e motor M isphere illustrated as an electric motor of conventional type, having a field coil l2 and anarmatureshaft I4 bearing a motor pinion Iii.`V 'Ihe motor is energized in the rusual 15A Way, through 'a third rail and a contact shoe, no shown in the drawing. Y

The abrasive wheelA may, in inexpensive form, be made of wood having particles of vabrasive material cemented to the periphery thereof by a suitablel adhesive. The `wheel A is driven onto an elongated pinion shaft lrparts of the pinion teeth'of which .are turnedl away, as indicated Vat t 20 andi22 in Figs. 2 and 3."A`t the end 24, vthe pinion teeth function as part of the gear train driving the abrasive wheel.

In the present case, the gear train includes motor pinion I6 driving an intermediate gear 26 with which meshes a large gear 28 which invturn engages the pinion 24. p y 'Y ,f 30

The element F is preferably a pyrophoric e'lement of knowntype, and it is merely for brevity and convenience that I refer tothe same as a flint. The flint is secured at the upper end of a flint-holding arm 30 the lower end of which is 35 pivotally mounted at 32. The flint holder 30 is so disposed with relation to the abrasive wheel as to throw a shower of sparks upwardly, as indicated at 34, this being desirable in the present case'where the sparks are simulatedly ejected 40 through the smoke-stack 36 of the locomotive L. The flint is preferably held against the abrasive wheel by a light gravitational pressure, thisV being desirable'in ord-er to permit the flint to move around freely and self-adjustably, thereby minil mizing wear of the flint and the abrasive wheelj l Such a construction also makesuit possible to use a relatively cheap, rough-surfaced abrasive wheel instead of a precision element. I o this end, a weight arm 40 is provided extending in a gener- 50 ally horizontal direction, this arm being Vrconnected to the int holder 30, and, inthe present case, Vbeing formed integrally therewith out of a single piece of sheet metal. The sheet `metal arm is itself adeguate in weightto hold the flint V against the abrasive wheel, although it may, of course, be loaded with additional weight if desired.

In accordance with one of the features of the present invention, the sparking mechanism may be made operative or inoperative at will. This is done by disconnecting the abrasive wheel from the motor M, and, more specifically, by shifting the pinion 24 out of mesh with the gear 28. The operation of the sparking mechanism is controlled by lever 42, clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing. The manner in which this lever functionsl may be explained with reference to Fig. 4 of the drawing. Lever` 42 is pivotally mounted on an eyelet 44 and a sideward exten-A shown in Fig. 1, the pinion 24 is moved into meshwith gear r.28.

Theint holder is removable for replacement. The trunnions or ears 32 formed integral with the flint holder are carried in bearings one of which is a hole and the other of which is an open-ended slot 56, best shown in Figs. land 5. Slot 56 is normally closed by arm 52 which assumes the position shown in Fig. 1. When the arm is elevated, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5,

journal 22 is received in the slot 49 which, like slot 58, is an open-endedlslot. Journal 22 is normally held against escape from slot 49 by the yoke 46 encompassing the same. If, however, the yoke 46 is moved in a clockwise direction l a sufcient distance, as shown in Fig. 5, the journal- 22 is freed for movement out of slot 49 and also out of slot 48. The opposite end journal 20 may thenr be pulled axially out of its bearing hole, and the wheel and shaft thus removed for replacement.

. bearing slots 58 and 49.

It may be explained'that the parts are so proportioned that accidental escape of either the int holder or the abrasive wheel is impossible, and this is true despite the fact that the mechanism of theV toy has been simplified by making a single lever 42 function for three purposes; first, the spark control; second, the removal of the flint holder; and third, the removal of the abrasive wheel. The lever 42 projects through a slot 60 in theV top of the toy. This .slot limits the movement of lever 42 to a slight amount just suflicient to produce engagement or disengagement of the gears 24 and 28. The accompanying movement of arm 52 is insuicient to clear the In other words, the maximum movement ofarm 42 permitted by the toy body is less than that indicated in Fig. 4. Incidentally, Ythe slot 6U may be stepped, as shown at 62 in Fig. 6, thus operating as a detent which time thegears are in mesh. Lever 42 is so shaped that it normally moves toward the stepped side of the slot, and the gears are thus held in mesh despite any natural tendency for them to separate because of the pressure at the gear teeth.

Because of the limited movement of arm 42, it is impossible for either the flint holder or the abrasive wheel to escape from their respective bearings. Of course, it is also impossible to intentionally remove the same, but this would anyway be very difficult, if not altogether impossible, because of the closely surrounding toy body. Consequently, to replace these parts, it is necessary to rst remove the toy body from around the mechanism. In the present case, this may be done by removing the screw 64 to release the holder 66 of lamp 68, and by then removing the side screwsl. This releases the front end of the motor truck, and the rear end is then removable because it is held merely by slots in the motor frame receiving the forward edge 12v of a plateforming a part of the toy body.

VWhen the toy body has been removed, the lever 42 may be swung clockwise as far as desired and to the. extreme position shown in Fig. 5, at which time either int holder or the abrasive wheel, or both, may be replaced. In a broad sense, these parts are held against accidental escape by an arm, the movement of which is limited by the toy body but which arm is readily moved as far as necessary when the toy body has been removed.

The specic-toy here illustrated simulates a. railroad locomotive. The wheels W are, therefore, flanged wheels of conventional type, and

they are driven from motor pinion I6 by ya conventional gear train, in this case including the pinion I6 driving the gears 26, 26', which, in turn, have secured thereto and drivel gears 14, 14', which, in turn, mesh with gears 16, 16 formed directlyA on the wheels W.

The motor truck frame 8U may be of substantially conventionalA type, for the parts of the sparking mechanism are all mounted in a subframe 82 secured between the side plates of frame 86 by tongues 84 received in mating slots f in the side plates. The large gear 28 is mounted on the outside of frame 8D by means of a. screw bearing 86. With this construction, a locomotive toymay be modified from one without the sparkling mechanism to one with the sparking mechanism ,by simply providing the necessary slots in frame to receive the sub-frame 82; by providing a threaded hole in frame 80 toV receive the bearing 86; and by slotting the top of the locomotive body to form the slot 60 through which control lever 42 passes. In this Way, the manufacturer can market the top i-n both forms with a minimum of expense for tools and'dies.

The control lever 42 for controlling the operation of the spark producing mechanism is very convenient not only to make the mechanism'optionally usable,but also because of the desirability of disconnecting the gearing when the locomotive is to be run for any appreciable time in a reverse direction, for, atY such time, the sparks generated are thrown downward and, therefore, are not visible.,V

It is believed that the construction, operation, Vand many .advantages of my improved sparln'ng mechanism for f toys will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. It. will also be apparentthat, while-I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, many changes and'modications'inay be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the means, an abrasive wheel, gearing between said spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A toy vehicle comprising a body having an opening, a motor truck, wheels thereon, a motor therein, gearing connecting said motor and wheels, and spark-producing mechanism disposed at the opening, including an abrasive wheel, a flint vand int holder movably mounted with the flint resting onthe abrasive wheel in such position as to direct sparks near the opening, gearing connecting the motor and the abrasive Wheel, a gear shift lever formoving the gear of the abrasive wheel into on out of mesh with a gear driving the same, in orderk to make the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative, the aforesaid toy body being slotted to receive said lever, Vsaid lever projecting through said slot and said slot being stepped to 'define the operative and inoperative positions of the lever.

2. A toy comprising a motor frame, a motor therein, anabrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and said abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said frame and bearing against said abrasive wheel, an arm associated with said int holder and movable to a position such that the flint holder may be removed from the frame, a toy body on said frame, said body limiting the movement of saidy arm to prevent accidental escape of the flint holder, said frame being bodily removable from said body at vwhich time said arm is movable to a greatervv extent aiording release of the flint holder.

3. A toy comprising a motor frame, a motor therein, an abrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and said abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said frame and bearing against said abrasive wheel, an arm associated with said abrasive wheel and movable to a position such that the abrasive wheel may be removed from the frame, a toy body on said frame, said body limiting the movement of said arm to prevent accidental escape of the flint holder, said frame being removable from said body at which time said arm is movable to a greater extent affording release of the abrasive wheel.

4. A vehicle toy comprising a motor truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive Wheel, gearing between said motor and said abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said truck and bearing against said abrasive wheel, an arm associated with said int holder and movable to a position such that the ilint holder may be removed from the truck, 'a toy body on said truck, said body limiting the movement of said arm to prevent accidental escape of the iiint holder, but said truck being bodily removable from said body at which time saidV arm is movable to a greater extent affording release of the flint holder from the truck.

5. A vehicle toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said truck in a bearing slot, a lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slot whereby said flint is normally held against escape'from said slot but may be removed therefrom by rst swinging said lever to clear the slot.

6. A vehicle toy comprising a motor, toy means driven thereby, gearing between said motor-and motor and abrasive wheel, a int and flint holder pivotally mounted on said truck in a bearing slot, a gear shift lever for moving a gear into or out of mesh with a gear driving the same in order to make the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative, a part of said lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slot whereby said flint is normallyheld against escape from said slot but may be removed therefrom by first swinging said gear shift lever to clear the slot.

7. A toy vehicle comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and abrasive wheel, a flint and int holder pivotally mo-unted o-n said truck in bearing slots, a gear shift lever for moving a gear into or out of mesh with the gear driving the same in order to make the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative, a part of said lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearingslots whereby said flint is normally held against escape from said slots but may be removed therefrom by first swinging saidy gear shift lever to clear the slots.

8. A vehicle toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, an openen-ded bearing slot receiving said abrasive wheel, gearing -between said motor and abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder, a lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slot, whereby said abrasive wheel is normally held against escape from said slot but may be removed therefrom by first swinging said lever to clear the slot.

9, A vehicle toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing betwen said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, an open-ended bearing slot receiving said abrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder, a gear shift lever for moving a gear into or out of mesh with the gear driving the same in order to make the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative, a part of said lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slot, whereby said abrasive wheel is normally held against escape from said slot but may be removed therefrom by first swinging said gear shift lever to clear the slot,

10. A vehicle toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, an open-ended bearing slot receiving said abrasive wheel, gearing between said motor and abrasive wheel, a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said truck in another bearing slot, and a lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slots, whereby said flint and abrasive wheel are normally held against movement out of said slots but both may be removed therefrom by first swinging said lever to clear the slots.

ll. A vehicle toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing between said motor and wheels, an abrasive wheel, an openended bearing slot receiving said abrasive wheel,

gearing between said motor and abrasive wheel,k

a flint and flint holder pivotally mounted on said truck in another bearing slot, a gear shift lever for moving a gear into or out of mesh with the gear driving the same in order to make the sparking mechanism operative or inoperative, a part of said lever functioning to close the aforesaid bearing slots, whereby said flint and abrasive Wheel are normally held against escape from said slots but may be removed therefrom by rst -nsV swinging said gear shift lever to clear the slots.

l2. A toy comprising a toy body, a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing interconnecting said motor and Wheels, and sparking mechanism for ejecting a shower of sparks from the toy, said sparking mechanism being carried in a sub-frame secured within the forward part of the motor truck frame b-y tongue and slot connections, said sub-frame carrying an abrasive Wheel and a pinion secured thereto, a flint and int holder, and a gear shift lever for moving said abrasive wheel and its pinion, and gearing connecting the motor and the aforesaid gearing to the pinion, said gear shift lever projecting through a slot in said body, and said slot being stepped to denne positions of said lever which move said pinion into or out of engagement with the gearing. Y Y

13. A toy comprising a truck, a'rnotor therein, Wheels thereon, gearing` interconnecting said motor and wheels, and sparking mechanism for ejectng a shower of sparks from the toy, said sparking mechanism being carried in a sub-frame secured within the forward part of the motor truck frame by tongue and slot connections, said sub-frame carrying an abrasive wheel and a pinion secured thereto, a iiint and flint holder, and a lever for releasably anchoring the abrasive wheel and the flint' holder in the sub-frame, and gearing connecting the motor and the aforesaid gearing to the pinion. Y

14. A locomotive toy comprising a truck, a motor therein, wheels thereon, gearing interconnecting said motor and wheels,` and sparking mechanism for ejecting a shower of sparks from the chimney o1 the locomotive, said sparking mechanism being carried in a sub-frame secured Within the forward part of the motor truck frame Aby tongue and slot connections, saidv sub-frame carrying an abrasive wheel and a pinion Ysecured thereto, a ilint and flint holder, and a gear shift lever for moving said abrasive wheel and its pinion and for releasably anchoring the abrasive wheel and the iiint holder inthe sub-frame, and gearing connecting the motor and the aforesaid gearing to the pinion., EDWARD E. MCKEIGE. 

